Good Essay About Observational

I have witnessed many things in my life. Some of these instances have been happy and some of them have been sad. Unfortunately, one that has stuck with me concerned a dog I knew that lived across the way from me in Southern California. His name was Raphael and he looked well taken care of: his coat was shiny and he never looked like he was being starved. However, the look of abandonment and loss of love in his eyes is something that will stay with me forever. It showed me that animals need more from their owners than money; they need time, love, and attention.
Raphael was a Bichon Frise. He lived primarily on the balcony of his apartment that was located opposite of my home in sunny Southern California. Though I had much going on in my life I never failed to notice Raphael. Each day I saw him sitting on the balcony alone. Eventually I began to wonder why he never went inside, as well as why he was always alone. After a while I observed that he almost never went inside, unless the weather was bad. I have always loved dogs and my heart always aches for those that are being mistreated. The first few times I saw Raphael I actually had no idea that there was anything wrong with him. His coat was very shiny and I could tell that he was being groomed regularly. He did not look like he was being starved or beaten either. He had many fine items that showed his owner’s wealth. His food dish looked like it had his name hand painted on it. His bed looked soft and comfortable, and his collar did not have a name tag hanging from it, but instead it had a little jewel. At first glance, you could tell Raphael was owned by people who were taking care of him. Physically, he looked like he was a perfectly healthy dog. However, after I saw him a few times I began to notice subtle differences between Raphael and other typically happy dogs that led me to believe Raphael was being mistreated in more subtle ways.
Each day I saw Raphael he was not on his balcony, happily playing with a ball or barking at things he saw. Instead he was sitting or lying down, simply staring out through the railings. There was a longing in his eyes that told me he was not used to the being petted or shown any affection. He responded to the sounds of people laughing and enjoying themselves; it was as if he wanted to join in. It was every easy to see that the thing he wanted most was to be loved and held. I would try to talk to him sometimes, thinking I was comforting him. In the end this may have done more harm than good. Raphael was so desperate for attention that when I would walk by his tail would perk up and he would make a sound almost like he was sobbing. I felt badly because I never saw him respond to others in this way. When I did not see this look of longing in his eyes and in his behavior, it was replaced by complete listlessness. His eyes were empty and cold while his body language was almost as if he were lifeless. Without the attention of his owner, Raphael cycled between desperation for attention and apathy toward humans.
As time passed, I also noticed the color of Raphael’s nose was not black and shiny, as is typical of most dogs. Instead, Raphael’s was nearly blood red. Naturally I was alarmed by this. After researching the difference I learned that this is a difference that is found in certain breeds or it can be caused by a Vitamin D deficiency, often as a result of a lack of sunlight. Bichon Frises are not prone to having a red nose. If they do it would suggest a genetic disorder of some kind, meaning that not only was Raphael being neglected emotionally, but also physically. We were in Southern California where sunlight is abundant and any animal that was getting walked on a semi-regular basis was bound to get a healthy dose of Vitamin D. My heart broke for Raphael. It was clear by his shiny coat, trimmed nails, and fancy collar that his owners thought all a dog needed was fancy items. In reality, Raphael needed so much more. He needed love and affection from his owners, but he also needed exercise and physical maintenance such as walking and sunlight. The balcony hardly saw sunlight; it was shaded by the balcony above it. This probably seemed like an ideal situation for the owners. They were not cruel and did not want to leave Raphael in direct sunlight all day, every day. This was good and showed that they maintained humanity in some ways but the fact that they denied Raphael love showed that they did not understand the true needs of animals.
As I observed the family further I realized that the owner had two small children. He worked long hours and did not seem to be home often for his family or for Raphael. The two small children were very rambunctious and took a lot of their mother’s time. She did not have time to take care of Raphael either. I often wondered why the two children did not take more of an interest in Raphael but, also through my observations, I began to notice that many of their games were rather violent and I began to think that perhaps it was better that they stayed away from Raphael. What he obviously needed was somebody who would be gentle and show him kindness. The two children would mean well, I’m sure, but I feared they would hurt him with their roughhousing. The fact remained that the family was very busy and Raphael was kept unhappy and deprived of love.
Raphael’s owners continued to anger and annoy me when they brought a second dog home to neglect. Soon after it arrived, this puppy also looked well groomed and well fed. It was given a nice collar that looked adorned with sparkling jewels. Its bed was fancy and looked very comfortable and its food dishes were brand new and looked very pretty. Despite all of these items, the puppy barked all day and night out on the balcony where he was placed with Raphael. I only saw the owner emerge a few times to quiet him but never once to give him attention or show him any form of love. After a couple of weeks the puppy quieted and began to look more and more like Raphael. The two animals were too lonely to even comfort each other. Both would simply stare out beyond the bars of the balcony, longingly, as if they were wishing somebody would show them the slightest bit of attention. Day after day I wished more than anything that I was able to be that person.
Eventually the family moved away, taking Raphael and the new puppy with them. I do not know where they went but I never forgot the look in Raphael’s eyes, or the sadness I felt for the future of the new puppy the family bought. Both dogs just wanted to be loved by their owners. It was plain to see that they desired affection and attention. I understood that their owners were busy but I believe that even a few minutes of petting and kind words a day would have been better than nothing at all. I often wonder why they did not just sell or give away the two dogs if they had no intention of actually caring for them. I wonder this until I realize that the answer is simple: Raphael’s owners seemed to believe that dogs were like people, valuing things over affection. Many people are like this. They want to collect valuable items instead of spending time with the ones that they love. This is not true; dogs would much rather spend their days sitting by the side of their owner being petted, or playing games in a park, than being shut outside on a balcony with a fancy food dish and a comfortable bed. Raphael taught me that, with every animal I won for the rest of my life, I will be sure to feed them and make sure they are comfortable, but above all I will make sure that they know they are loved and that I cherish them above anything else.